nature’s bounty

BROAD BEANS AND PEAS WITH NEW POTATO AND PARSLEY GNOCCHI, CHIVES AND TARRAGON

You mustn’t be afraid of making gnocchi; it’s really very quick. I make these gnocchi using coarsely bashed new potatoes instead of mashed floury main-crops. They have a rougher quality that I find more interesting. I like to serve as many peas and broad beans as I can get on the plate and I add lots of parsley – being generous with herbs can improve your cooking exponentially.

SERVES 3-4

• 50g unsalted butter
• 200g podded or frozen peas
• 200g podded broad beans
• 1 tbsp finely chopped chives
• 1 tbsp chopped tarragon leaves
• Extra-virgin olive oil to serve

FOR THE GNOCCHI

• 500g new potatoes
• 200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 75g hard sheep’s or cow’s cheese, finely grated, plus extra to serve
• 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

First, make the gnocchi. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 10–15 minutes, until tender, then drain well and allow to steam off for 5 minutes. Tip out the potatoes onto a clean work surface and use a pair of forks to rough them up – don’t mash, just chop and fork the potatoes;